Thanks for the suggestion Kristofer!

Jon

Posted by Jon at Tuesday ~ August 08, 2007 | 1 Comment

Category: Everest 2007

The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #17

Posted by admin at Monday ~ May 05, 2007 | No Comments

Category: Everest 2007

The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #16

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Category: Everest 2007

The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #15

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Category: Everest 2007

The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #14

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Category: Everest 2007

The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #13

Posted by admin at Monday ~ April 04, 2007 | No Comments

Category: Everest 2007

“If I Ever Get Out of Here, That’s What I’m Gonna Do…”

Good morning everyone!

So, today is the day we leave for home. It’s around 8am Nepali time and Thamel is waking up. All of the shops are beginning to open and the tourists are coming out from under their massive hangovers. Karma will be meeting us at our hotel at 11:30am to take us to the airport. Personally, I’m looking forward to moving on: it’s been a wonderful trip with so many incredible memories.

Unfortunately, the air quality in KTM is taking its toll. My throat is getting pretty raw from the pollution. I’m looking forward to my Rocky Mountain air again!!

Before we leave, Scott and I thought it would be great to post a few pictures from the adventures we’ve been having. So, here we go:

Here’s a shot of Scott and I before we headed out on the road to Pokhra. We actually were stopped to fix a flat tire.

Jon conducting an important interview with one of the locals on the road to Pokhra.

Although his name escapes us right now (we don’t have our notes with us while this is being typed…) here’s a photo of us with our driver for the 2-day stint to Pokhra. Wonderful guy.

One of the holiest sites within Tibet. The Johkang was truly amazing. Jon and I performed many Koras around the temple, which according to our Tibetan guide gave us virtue (much needed!).

The Potala Palace was once home to the Dali Lamas. Standing outside one can imagine this as the center for political and spiritual guidance within Old Tibet. Currently, there stands a Chinese political monument across the city square. It’s a good metaphor for the clash between Tibetans and Chinese within this struggling country.

Standing on top of the roof at the Drepung Monastery in Lhassa. This is a common Tibetan ornament, adorning rooftops of holy buildings, which depicts the wisdom of Buddha.

These lamps, made from yak butter are absolutely everywhere.

The fortress on the hill at Cyangtse. This was right outside of our hotel. The 1890-1904 English exploratory expedition ended in violence at this site, with 700 Tibetans killed in one afternoon.

The Baiju Temple in Cyangtse. This was one of the few holy sites that allowed photography of its interior. I have it all on tape. The design is actually more Indian than Tibetan since it has rooms inside that can be visited. Tibetan chortens are sealed off.

At Tashi Lhun Po Monastery we were fortunate enough to be on the roof and observed the monks called to prayer. A sole monk blew a conch shell horn very loudly, using circular breathing for an uninterrupted sound. Amazing. This monastery also holds the largest sitting Matryia (Future) Buddha statue in the world. I was totally unprepared for it when we walked into it’s chamber. It’s enormous! I was in rapture. Interestingly enough, my wife, Heidi dreamed of this statue 4 days before we visited it. She didn’t know it existed, yet told me about it in detail. Behold, the power of Tibet!

Here’s a group of monks at Tashi Lhun Po checking out Jon filming. They were very curious about the cameras we had. One monk took Scott’s camera and began shooting pictures of his friends.

Picture of a monk, through the eyes of a monk. We have several of these free-form shots after a monk took Scott’s camera. We feel these may be the best shots from the trip!

Standard room at a tea house in Shegar (New Tingri) Tibet. No, it’s not charming.

In awe of Chomolunmga. Scott was initially blown away with the immense size of this mountain. Then the beauty of it sinks in and one can only stare. Beautiful morning.

Scott’s introduction to my good friend, Chomolungma. They got along just fine…

Scott and Jon (wrapped in prayer flags) with several 8000 meter peaks in the background.

Scott, Jon and our first-rate driver Yunloe (on left) and our Tibetan guide, the rockstar Lobsang. Lobsang was THE MAN. I can’t speak more highly of him. He made the trip everything it was. In all seriousness, we feel he is the future of his country. What a truly amazing individual.

The view of Everest from the Tibetan base camp.

Once again, Jon with Mike W’s childhood flag.

Jon filming near his old 2003 camp. The LUNGevity team just happened to be using it this year. What a coincidence!

Again, Jon conducting an important interview with some locals. These ones were a bit hairy.

Scott standing next to the faded base camp marker. It says “Chomolungma Base Camp 5200 meters”.

These guys come in handy for climbers, as they carry most of the gear to advanced base camp. For Scott, they came in his curry.

The luxury bathroom in Old Tingri. I think the picture speaks for itself…

Here’s a shot of Shishapangma (8012 meters) which Ben Clark will be climbing in a few days. We had a great view of it from Tong La, the final pass before descending to the border with Nepal. Safe climbing, Ben and Co.!! Be well.

We hope all of you enjoy these pictures. There will be more to come in the next week or so. But right now, we’re off to buy more prayer flags….time to go home!!

Namaste,

Jon & Scott

Posted by Jon at Monday ~ April 04, 2007 | 1 Comment

Category: Everest 2007

Last Minute Kathmandu

Hi Everyone,

So today is officially our last day in Nepal for this trip, as we fly out tomorrow morning. True to our pace, it has been busy as we ran about the Thamel District seeking out last minute gifts (Thamel is a tourist center busting at the seams with souvenirs). I’ve become fairly adept at “bargaining” and Jon and I are perfecting the tactic of the two man purchase; if one of us wants an item badly enough but the price is too high, the second man walks out of the shop with a look of impatience. This has not yet failed to bring the price down.

This morning however, was spent at Boudnath Temple which served as a reminder of the deeply spiritual soul, which lays beneath the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. Boudnath claims to be the largest stupa in the world and it is easy to imagine as true. I spent a good portion of my time spinning prayer wheels and ringing bells. At the beginning of this trip I was cautious about doing this in the temples, as I am not Buddhist. We have been extremely careful to show proper respect to those around us there to worship and to the culture in general. We learned however, that spinning prayer wheels is somewhat non-denominational and fully allowed by visitors. Ringing the many bells “sings a song to god” and that can never be bad, right?

Thinking back on Tibet and still need a lot of time to process the many things experienced. A few of the highlights:

The welcome we received at Everest Base Camp (Jon’s connections came in handy). Many camps offered a seat to rest a while, always accompanied by tea, coffee or even whiskey shots (the Russian camp!). I passed on the latter as it probably would have killed me at that altitude.

Attending a Puja for a French climbing team. The Sherpa invited us from the distance of a shout. The ceremony was filled with the chanting of prayers, offerings of tsampa and a rice/seed mixture, and some good cheer as a prayer for safety and luck on behalf of the climbers. This is a tradition in the Himalayas and a wonderful thing to participate in.

Chomolunmga herself, amazing! I sat at the base of Ronbuk glacier and gazed at a single mountain face rising approximately 12, 000 feet higher than where I was seated.

Yak butter tea is excellent up until the fourth cup.

The road from Nyalaam to Zang mu is outrageous. Winding, narrow (single lane-two way) and an endless descent.

The Tibetan people are wonderful.

-Scott

Posted by Scott at Monday ~ April 04, 2007 | 1 Comment

Category: Everest 2007

The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #12

Posted by admin at Sunday ~ April 04, 2007 | 2 Comments

Category: Everest 2007

Hi Everyone,

Back in Kathmandu with mixed emotions. To be honest, Tibet was wonderful and I’m a bit sadened at having to leave. Arriving at our hotel however, I relieved some of the sadness with a much needed shower. Tibetan guest houses and Base Camp tents offer much in the way of the warmth from a yak dung fueled stove, endless milk or butter tea and conversation with Tibetans or other travelers. The showers there however, seemed to be absent. Jon tells me that in 2003, he made it through most of the expedition under these circumstances and with good company. This time around however, we were aware of the “funkiness” accumulated over the course of one week. I’ve never showered better.

Looking forward to downloading some of my 1000+ photos. Plan to share a bunch. Actually, Jon is begging for full access to my SD cards and I’m happy to give it. I have many experiences to share and will try to start tomorrow, in my next post. Currently, we are pretty dehydrated from the cold air and altitude of the Tibetan plateau, so are going to regroup over some Everest Beers and orange Fanta.

Scott

Posted by Scott at Sunday ~ April 04, 2007 | No Comments

Category: Everest 2007

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The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #13

“If I Ever Get Out of Here, That’s What I’m Gonna Do…”

Last Minute Kathmandu

The Rest of Everest: Tibet 2007 #12